42.74 Lakh Names Dropped In Madhya Pradesh Draft Voter Rolls After SIR

The draft electoral roll prepared after the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in Madhya Pradesh was released by the Election Commission of India on Tuesday, following a meeting with political parties. 

The draft has revealed large-scale changes in the voter database, with 42,74,160 names removed and 8,46,184 voters found to be "unmapped". These figures have drawn immediate attention from both political parties and civil society groups.

According to the Commission, of the voters removed, 19.19 lakh were men and 23.64 lakh were women. The deletions followed a 45-day door-to-door physical verification exercise that began on November 7, during which Booth Level Officers verified details across urban and rural areas. Out of 5,74,06,143 registered voters, enumeration forms were submitted by 5,31,31,983 electors during the process.

The Commission stated that 8,46,184 voters were found to be dead, 8,42,677 were marked absent during verification, and more than 2.77 lakh were already enrolled elsewhere. In addition, more than 8.35 lakh voters could not be mapped during the first phase of the SIR; their cases will now be handled separately through formal notices and document verification.

District-wise data shows significant variations. Jabalpur reported the highest number of dead voters at 51,357, while Pandhurna recorded the lowest at just over 4,000. In the category of absent voters, Indore topped the list with 1,75,424 cases, while Alirajpur reported the lowest at 672.

Data on shifted voters shows a strong urban trend, with more than 2.86 lakh marked as shifted in Bhopal and over 1.97 lakh in Indore. Duplicate entries were highest in Burhanpur at 23,594, followed by Indore at 22,808.

Unmapped voters were largely concentrated in major cities, with Indore accounting for 1,33,696 cases, Bhopal for 1,16,925, and Gwalior for 68,540. The Commission said notices will be issued to all unmapped voters to collect supporting documents during the next phase.

Alongside the revision, the number of polling stations in Madhya Pradesh has increased by nearly 7,000, taking the total to 71,930. Officials said this expansion is aimed at improving voter convenience and ensuring smoother operations.

The first phase of the SIR is now complete, and the draft roll is available on the Election Commission's website and through Booth Level Officers. Claims and objections can be filed until January 22, and any eligible voter whose name is missing can apply for inclusion using Form 6. To handle grievances, 725 additional Electoral Registration Officers have been appointed. The second phase will run from January 22 to February 14, with the final electoral roll scheduled for publication on February 21.